2008 NFC North Division Champions.
I'm not sure why this seems so damn satisfying to me. I didn't take a single snap, or record a single carry, or catch a single pass or make a single tackle. But as a fan, for some reason, I can't remember the last time I had this level of satisfaction and downright peacefulness as a Viking fan. Maybe because I spent a good five minutes or so laughing at this quote I read from a guy from the Chicago Tribune that was highlighted in the NFC North Blog on ESPN the day before the game.
"You just know the Vikings are going to lose. I can't stress that enough. It is what the Vikings do. Question is, can the Bears get and hold a lead -- emphasis on the "and hold" part -- before it gets dire?"
Yeah. . . good call, sparky. I guess even I wrote the "letter" because after last weekend I was convinced this was going to end the same as it always does for our Beloved Purple. Glad I was proven wrong, that's for sure!
But most importantly, I think my sense of satisfaction comes from the fact that when the Vikings HAD to win a game, they did so. . . for the first time in a long time. And you know something? I don't care who the Giants had on the field at the end of the game. Tom Coughlin had the right to play whoever he wanted at that point. The Vikings had also earned the right to play what was a meaningful game for them against an opponent that had nothing to play for. I'm sure lots of Bear fans were ecstatic that we were playing the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 17 while they "only" had to worry about the Houston Texans.
The bottom line is that, despite what anybody will want to say to dispute it, the Vikings did not "back in" to the post-season. Nobody said that Green Bay "backed in" back in 2003 when the Broncos played their JV team at Lambeau Field, even though that's a far better example of "backing in" to the post-season than what Minnesota did this season. The Vikings controlled their own destiny. . . they earned the right to control their own destiny based on what happened over the first fifteen games of 2008. And they fulfilled that destiny on Sunday.
And you know something? I don't give a damn about what Bear fans think about how we got into the post-season. I don't give a damn about what Giant fans think about how we got into the post-season. I don't give a damn about what fans of any other team think about how we got into the post-season.
The important thing is that next Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM Eastern time, all of us are going to gather at Barry Dyngle's, just like we have on 16 other occasions this season, and we're going to watch Vikings' football.
Bear fans can't say that.
Packer fans can't say that.
Cowboy fans can't say that.
Buccaneer fans can't say that.
But we can!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
P.S. I Still Love You!
I have seen this movie one too many times. I know exactly how it ends. Therefore I decided to write the following letter:
Dear Playoffs,
It sure was nice of you to come so close, but I understand that you couldn't make it. As a life-long Vikings fan, I know that you're only there to tempt us. Unfortunately, I forgot about that for awhile and foolishly hoped that you would be joining us in a few weeks. I now realize the stupidity of that thinking. We Vikings fans appreciate how you made it much closer to visiting than previous years. Was this all one big trick to get us to root for our arch-nemesis, the Packers? If so, bravo, sir, bra-vo.
Regardless of your intentions, you have once again built up my hopes for a post season, only to dash them away again and again. You'd think we'd learn by now, but you know what? We just can't help but be secretly optimistic, despite our "glass-half-empty" exterior.
It sure was nice to have you close by. Maybe we'll see you next year.
But probably not.
Sincerely,
Dejected, Pessimistic, Hope-Crushed-Under-A-Bus, I've-Been-a-Minnesota-Fan-Long-Enough-To-Know-Where-This-Is-Going,
Dirty Kev
Dear Playoffs,
It sure was nice of you to come so close, but I understand that you couldn't make it. As a life-long Vikings fan, I know that you're only there to tempt us. Unfortunately, I forgot about that for awhile and foolishly hoped that you would be joining us in a few weeks. I now realize the stupidity of that thinking. We Vikings fans appreciate how you made it much closer to visiting than previous years. Was this all one big trick to get us to root for our arch-nemesis, the Packers? If so, bravo, sir, bra-vo.
Regardless of your intentions, you have once again built up my hopes for a post season, only to dash them away again and again. You'd think we'd learn by now, but you know what? We just can't help but be secretly optimistic, despite our "glass-half-empty" exterior.
It sure was nice to have you close by. Maybe we'll see you next year.
But probably not.
Sincerely,
Dejected, Pessimistic, Hope-Crushed-Under-A-Bus, I've-Been-a-Minnesota-Fan-Long-Enough-To-Know-Where-This-Is-Going,
Dirty Kev
Monday, December 22, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 16
It's ironic that once again. . . in a "win and your in" situation. . . we were treated to a visit by the same. . . old. . . Vikings. Just like 2003 and 2007, the Vikings found themselves in a position where they had to simply win one football game, and they'd find themselves in the post-season. Heck, they're STILL in a position where they have to simply win one football game, and they'll find themselves in the post-season. Yes, they went into yesterday's game without the services of big Pat Williams in the middle of the defensive line, which was bad going into a game against the league's top rush offense.
But you know something? Despite all of that. . .
Michael Turner didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
Matt Ryan didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
Roddy White didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
No, ladies and gentlemen, the people who killed the Minnesota Vikings today were, as usual, the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings outgained the Falcons by a margin of 350-222. Minnesota was only penalized 3 times for 15 yards. Tarvaris Jackson played an insanely good game, given the circumstances. Visanthe Shiancoe had the first 100-yard receiving game for a Vikings' TE since. . . damn, I don't even know when. Probably back in the Steve Jordan days, if he even had a 100-yard game in his heyday. In the second half, Matt Ryan only completed 2 out of 6 passes for 24 yards and the Falcons were 1 for 5 on third down.
But you simply can not expect to win a game where you fumble the ball SEVEN times, losing four. I love Adrian Peterson. . . all Viking fans love Adrian Peterson, and why wouldn't we? The guy does things that no other RB in the league is capable of doing, and was getting mention in the NFL's MVP race going into yesterday's game. But Adrian Peterson isn't going to be the NFL MVP, nor should he be. In your team's biggest game of the year, you can't put the ball on the ground three times. (Yes, the official scorebook only gives him two, but the fumbled exchange between Tarvaris Jackson and AP that was credited to Jackson was all on Peterson, in my opinion.)
We had Bernard Berrian fumbling a punt return on what should have been a three-and-out on the Falcons' second drive (on a ball that he should have fair caught anyway, since he wasn't going anywhere after the catch even if he had held on). We had Matt Birk snapping the ball over Tarvaris Jackson's head on a third down in Minnesota territory. We had Jackson getting sacked and having the ball take a Madden game-like 20+ yard bounce the other direction when the Vikings were closing in on the Falcons' red zone. For crying out loud, Chris Kluwe punted ONE TIME. Had you told me prior to the game that Chris Kluwe was only going to punt one time against the Falcons and we'd still end up losing by a touchdown, I would have thought you were insane.
That's not to say that there weren't some good things about the game. I can't say enough about what we saw from Tarvaris Jackson. He's a completely different quarterback from the guy we saw in the first two games of 2008, and has pretty well established that the Vikings should NOT be looking to draft a QB early in the 2009 Draft. In the 10 quarters of play since he took over for Gus Frerotte, he's completed 65% of his passes, put up a TD/INT ratio of 7/0 (with only one total turnover) and posted a quarterback rating of an amazing 126.5 (as opposed to the 64.8 rating he posted in the first two games of the year). That doesn't even include the 76 yards rushing he picked up today (tying him with Peterson for the team lead) and his ability to get out of plays that probably would have had us carting Gus Frerotte off of the field.
And we all knew that Visanthe Shiancoe was king-sized. . . but today he was king-sized ON the field. Seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns is amazing. It's not every day that you see a TE average almost 20 yards a catch. And they weren't all easy catches, either. . . the guy took some shots this afternoon. But he really, truly showed us today what the Vikings saw when they gave him that lengthy huge contract they gave him before the 2007 season.
As I said before, the Vikings technically control their own destiny for the NFC North division title. . . and that's the only way they're getting in, as they can't get the other wild card spot (Atlanta clinched one of those spots with a win today). If the Vikings beat the Giants next weekend, they're in. Also, if the Bears lose to either Green Bay tonight or at Houston next week, we can get in that way, too. Since I have a feeling that the Packers have pretty well folded up the tents for the season, it's probably going to come down to the season's final week.
Oh well, guess tonight I'll be chanting "Do do do..do do do do...GO PACK GO"
But you know something? Despite all of that. . .
Michael Turner didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
Matt Ryan didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
Roddy White didn't kill the Minnesota Vikings today.
No, ladies and gentlemen, the people who killed the Minnesota Vikings today were, as usual, the Minnesota Vikings.
The Vikings outgained the Falcons by a margin of 350-222. Minnesota was only penalized 3 times for 15 yards. Tarvaris Jackson played an insanely good game, given the circumstances. Visanthe Shiancoe had the first 100-yard receiving game for a Vikings' TE since. . . damn, I don't even know when. Probably back in the Steve Jordan days, if he even had a 100-yard game in his heyday. In the second half, Matt Ryan only completed 2 out of 6 passes for 24 yards and the Falcons were 1 for 5 on third down.
But you simply can not expect to win a game where you fumble the ball SEVEN times, losing four. I love Adrian Peterson. . . all Viking fans love Adrian Peterson, and why wouldn't we? The guy does things that no other RB in the league is capable of doing, and was getting mention in the NFL's MVP race going into yesterday's game. But Adrian Peterson isn't going to be the NFL MVP, nor should he be. In your team's biggest game of the year, you can't put the ball on the ground three times. (Yes, the official scorebook only gives him two, but the fumbled exchange between Tarvaris Jackson and AP that was credited to Jackson was all on Peterson, in my opinion.)
We had Bernard Berrian fumbling a punt return on what should have been a three-and-out on the Falcons' second drive (on a ball that he should have fair caught anyway, since he wasn't going anywhere after the catch even if he had held on). We had Matt Birk snapping the ball over Tarvaris Jackson's head on a third down in Minnesota territory. We had Jackson getting sacked and having the ball take a Madden game-like 20+ yard bounce the other direction when the Vikings were closing in on the Falcons' red zone. For crying out loud, Chris Kluwe punted ONE TIME. Had you told me prior to the game that Chris Kluwe was only going to punt one time against the Falcons and we'd still end up losing by a touchdown, I would have thought you were insane.
That's not to say that there weren't some good things about the game. I can't say enough about what we saw from Tarvaris Jackson. He's a completely different quarterback from the guy we saw in the first two games of 2008, and has pretty well established that the Vikings should NOT be looking to draft a QB early in the 2009 Draft. In the 10 quarters of play since he took over for Gus Frerotte, he's completed 65% of his passes, put up a TD/INT ratio of 7/0 (with only one total turnover) and posted a quarterback rating of an amazing 126.5 (as opposed to the 64.8 rating he posted in the first two games of the year). That doesn't even include the 76 yards rushing he picked up today (tying him with Peterson for the team lead) and his ability to get out of plays that probably would have had us carting Gus Frerotte off of the field.
And we all knew that Visanthe Shiancoe was king-sized. . . but today he was king-sized ON the field. Seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns is amazing. It's not every day that you see a TE average almost 20 yards a catch. And they weren't all easy catches, either. . . the guy took some shots this afternoon. But he really, truly showed us today what the Vikings saw when they gave him that lengthy huge contract they gave him before the 2007 season.
As I said before, the Vikings technically control their own destiny for the NFC North division title. . . and that's the only way they're getting in, as they can't get the other wild card spot (Atlanta clinched one of those spots with a win today). If the Vikings beat the Giants next weekend, they're in. Also, if the Bears lose to either Green Bay tonight or at Houston next week, we can get in that way, too. Since I have a feeling that the Packers have pretty well folded up the tents for the season, it's probably going to come down to the season's final week.
Oh well, guess tonight I'll be chanting "Do do do..do do do do...GO PACK GO"
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 15
First off, I'm sorry it's taken until Wednesday to finally post this week's "Pill", but I have had too much going on. Between Christmas, buying a house, getting married, and of course work, there just isn't enough hours in the day. Anyway, no sense in really recapping the beatdown the Vikes gave the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday, so how about we just recap the aftermath of the game.
Just read this morning that Tarvaris Jackson was named NFC offensive player of the week, not bad for a guy that was benched after two games this season. Hard to argue with his 11 for 17 performance including the first 4 TD Pass performance in FOUR years for the Vikings. Chilly hasn't officially announced a starter for the Falcons game but I think T Jack deserves the nod.
How about a quick shout out to Adrian Peterson too. He broke the franchise single season rushing record with his 165 yard performance against the Cardinals. By Tuesday he was announced as a starter for the NFC Pro Bowl team for the second straight year. The Vikings tied the New York Football Giants with the most players from an NFC team (The Jets led the league with 7 players). Not bad when you consider all the people probably voting in the New York market. Joining AP in Hawai'i are Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield (I can hear Viking Jim now...OH.....IO), Steve Hutchinson, and of course Kevin and Pat Williams.
Speaking of Big Pat, looks like the Vikes will have to wrap up the division and maybe start the playoffs without a huge part of the run stopping Wall. Pat injured his shoulder in the Cardinals game and is expected to be out 2-6 weeks. Not great timing considering the Vikes are playing the #1 and #2 rush offenses in the entire league the next two weeks (Falcons and Giants).
Finally, the best news of all! The Vikings' magic number is one. As in ONE Vikings win or ONE Bears loss wraps up the NFC North for the Beloved Purple. Aside from that the Vikings still have a shot at the #2 seed in the NFC. Here's the scenario:
The battle that will be going on at Giants Stadium this weekend between the Giants and the Carolina Panthers will go a long way in determining the seeding. Both teams own records of 11-3, two games better than the Vikings' current mark of 9-5. A win by Minnesota on Sunday will raise their mark to 10-5, and one of the teams in the Giants/Panthers matchup will fall to 11-4. The winner will go to 12-3 and be locked into the #1 seed in the NFC.
Should the Panthers be victorious in that matchup, the game between the Vikings and Giants in Week 17 will be for the NFC's #2 seed. If the Vikings won that game, they and the Giants would both be 11-5, but Minnesota would get the higher seeding due to that head-to-head victory.
If the Giants win next week, it would get a little more complicated.
In that scenario, not only would the Vikings have to beat New York in the season finale. . . and they might be resting players, given that they'd be locked into home field throughout the NFC playoffs. . . but we'd also have to hope that the New Orleans Saints would be able to muster up a victory over the Panthers that afternoon, too. In that scenario, both the Vikings and Panthers would be 11-5, and Minnesota's 20-10 victory back in Week 3 would give them the advantage.
Oh, and a victory over the Giants would give the Vikings a victory over the three other NFC division champions this season. So that would be a nice little thing to hang our collective hats on, too.
Getting that first-round bye would be even more huge in light of the injury to big #94. Can the Vikings pull it off? Well, they have to wrap up the North, first, but hopefully that part of the equation will be solved by supper time next Sunday.
Just read this morning that Tarvaris Jackson was named NFC offensive player of the week, not bad for a guy that was benched after two games this season. Hard to argue with his 11 for 17 performance including the first 4 TD Pass performance in FOUR years for the Vikings. Chilly hasn't officially announced a starter for the Falcons game but I think T Jack deserves the nod.
How about a quick shout out to Adrian Peterson too. He broke the franchise single season rushing record with his 165 yard performance against the Cardinals. By Tuesday he was announced as a starter for the NFC Pro Bowl team for the second straight year. The Vikings tied the New York Football Giants with the most players from an NFC team (The Jets led the league with 7 players). Not bad when you consider all the people probably voting in the New York market. Joining AP in Hawai'i are Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield (I can hear Viking Jim now...OH.....IO), Steve Hutchinson, and of course Kevin and Pat Williams.
Speaking of Big Pat, looks like the Vikes will have to wrap up the division and maybe start the playoffs without a huge part of the run stopping Wall. Pat injured his shoulder in the Cardinals game and is expected to be out 2-6 weeks. Not great timing considering the Vikes are playing the #1 and #2 rush offenses in the entire league the next two weeks (Falcons and Giants).
Finally, the best news of all! The Vikings' magic number is one. As in ONE Vikings win or ONE Bears loss wraps up the NFC North for the Beloved Purple. Aside from that the Vikings still have a shot at the #2 seed in the NFC. Here's the scenario:
The battle that will be going on at Giants Stadium this weekend between the Giants and the Carolina Panthers will go a long way in determining the seeding. Both teams own records of 11-3, two games better than the Vikings' current mark of 9-5. A win by Minnesota on Sunday will raise their mark to 10-5, and one of the teams in the Giants/Panthers matchup will fall to 11-4. The winner will go to 12-3 and be locked into the #1 seed in the NFC.
Should the Panthers be victorious in that matchup, the game between the Vikings and Giants in Week 17 will be for the NFC's #2 seed. If the Vikings won that game, they and the Giants would both be 11-5, but Minnesota would get the higher seeding due to that head-to-head victory.
If the Giants win next week, it would get a little more complicated.
In that scenario, not only would the Vikings have to beat New York in the season finale. . . and they might be resting players, given that they'd be locked into home field throughout the NFC playoffs. . . but we'd also have to hope that the New Orleans Saints would be able to muster up a victory over the Panthers that afternoon, too. In that scenario, both the Vikings and Panthers would be 11-5, and Minnesota's 20-10 victory back in Week 3 would give them the advantage.
Oh, and a victory over the Giants would give the Vikings a victory over the three other NFC division champions this season. So that would be a nice little thing to hang our collective hats on, too.
Getting that first-round bye would be even more huge in light of the injury to big #94. Can the Vikings pull it off? Well, they have to wrap up the North, first, but hopefully that part of the equation will be solved by supper time next Sunday.
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Morning After Pill - Week # 14
Okay, so today's "Pill" won't be so much about the game (sorry, I was in Brookville for the in-laws Christmas party). For the most part it doesn't seem like there was a whole lot to talk about except for maybe the cheap shot delivered to Jared Allen or the fact that Tarvaris came in for the 2nd half to replace the injured Gus Frerotte. All and all it looks as though it wasn't pretty. Hell, for the first half, it looked like it wasn't even remotely fun to watch. But when the smoke cleared, the number on Minnesota's side of the scoreboard was bigger than the number on Detroit's side of the scoreboard.
And, since they don't give style points in the National Football League, that's really the only thing that matters. Fans of other teams will talk. . . believe me, it's coming. . . about how the Vikings "only" beat the Lions by four points and all sorts of other crap.
Let them.
Green Bay is no longer relevant to the NFC North race, the playoff picture, or anything in the 2008 NFL season outside of where they'll be selecting in the 2009 NFL Draft. Honestly, they've got nothing to say, and nobody that should be interested in hearing them say it. So the Packers beat the Lions by 23 points. They're also 5-8 and scheduling tee times at a golf course near you.
The Bears remain one game behind us. Again, behind us. Essentially it's a two game lead since the Vikings now own the tie breaker. It's officially a two-team race in the NFC North, and as of now, we still control our own destiny. The Bears have a short week coming up and have to face a Saints team that's on a roll (and that we've already beaten).
But we can't worry too much about them. . . our boys have a matchup with the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals to focus on, and what's sure to be another eventful off the field week in Minneapolis thanks to the pending suspensions of the Williams Wall.
Yes, we won ugly. . . but the only thing that matters is that we won. If opposing fans want to get into style points, they can go ahead. They can just continue doing it from the position they're currently in.
And, since they don't give style points in the National Football League, that's really the only thing that matters. Fans of other teams will talk. . . believe me, it's coming. . . about how the Vikings "only" beat the Lions by four points and all sorts of other crap.
Let them.
Green Bay is no longer relevant to the NFC North race, the playoff picture, or anything in the 2008 NFL season outside of where they'll be selecting in the 2009 NFL Draft. Honestly, they've got nothing to say, and nobody that should be interested in hearing them say it. So the Packers beat the Lions by 23 points. They're also 5-8 and scheduling tee times at a golf course near you.
The Bears remain one game behind us. Again, behind us. Essentially it's a two game lead since the Vikings now own the tie breaker. It's officially a two-team race in the NFC North, and as of now, we still control our own destiny. The Bears have a short week coming up and have to face a Saints team that's on a roll (and that we've already beaten).
But we can't worry too much about them. . . our boys have a matchup with the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals to focus on, and what's sure to be another eventful off the field week in Minneapolis thanks to the pending suspensions of the Williams Wall.
Yes, we won ugly. . . but the only thing that matters is that we won. If opposing fans want to get into style points, they can go ahead. They can just continue doing it from the position they're currently in.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Bite Your Tounge, Bevo!
I really do believe that the Sooners rightfully deserve the chance to play in the Big 12 Championship game over Texas or Texas Tech. I know that Texas beat Oklahoma 45-35 on a neutral field and I know that Texas Tech beat Texas and Oklahoma beat Texas Tech. You can go around in circles forever about which one deserves the higher BCS ranking on the basis of these three games. However, Oklahoma is still the right choice!
The Sooners aren't more deserving because they totally annihilated Texas Tech as some people suggest but rather it's because they went out and scheduled and beat some tough non-conference teams while Texas and Texas Tech did not. In 2008 Oklahoma beat Cincinnati, the Big East champion and TCU, currently ranked 11th in the BCS.
Texas played and beat Arkansas, Rice, UTEP and Florida Atlantic while Texas Tech had the easiest schedule of any Div1-A team in the country. The Red Raiders played and beat Umass, Eastern Washington, Nevada and SMU.
There is a lesson here...If you want to be highly regarded go out and schedule some tough non-conference teams! Some will argue that Texas had to play Missouri in the regular season (the best Big 12 team that Oklahoma did not play), but that case obviously makes no sense now since OU will have the opportunity to play Mizzou on a "neutral field" this Saturday. I put quotations around the neutral field for this reason: Yes, everyone points out that Texas beat OU on a "neutral field" and I don't care that the Cotton Bowl is the same driving distance from each campus. The fact is the game was played in Texas and if anyone actually watched the game they could see that the stadium was predominately Burnt Orange colors. Also, I'm still curious to see the outcome had Ryan Reynolds (the stud linebacker from OU) doesn't get hurt and lost for the game/season with the score 21-3 Sooners.
Now Oklahoma has to play Mizzou in Kansas City, an hour and half drive from Columbia I should point out. So if OU beats down the Tigers this makes yet another more impressive win for the Sooners considering Texas played Mizzou in Austin.
Also I took the liberty in comparing the games between Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma to show everyone the point differential from those games. Also I threw in the scores from the Oklahoma State game for all three teams (I chose Oklahoma State since they are the best Big 12 team that all three played and were also the only 3 losses that Oklahoma State had this season).
Texas Tech:
Oklahoma State: 56-20 W (+36)
Texas: 39-33 W (+6)
Oklahoma: 65-21 L (-44)
Total Point Difference: - 2
Texas:
Oklahoma: 45-35 W (+10)
Oklahoma State: 28-24 W (+4)
Texas Tech: 39-33 L (- 6)
Total Point Difference: + 8
Oklahoma:
Texas: 45-35 L (-10)
Texas Tech: 65-21 W (+44)
Oklahoma State: 61-41 W (+20)
Total Point Difference: +54
There you have it....my theory on why the BCS, flawed as it can be, got it RIGHT
GO SOONERS!
The Sooners aren't more deserving because they totally annihilated Texas Tech as some people suggest but rather it's because they went out and scheduled and beat some tough non-conference teams while Texas and Texas Tech did not. In 2008 Oklahoma beat Cincinnati, the Big East champion and TCU, currently ranked 11th in the BCS.
Texas played and beat Arkansas, Rice, UTEP and Florida Atlantic while Texas Tech had the easiest schedule of any Div1-A team in the country. The Red Raiders played and beat Umass, Eastern Washington, Nevada and SMU.
There is a lesson here...If you want to be highly regarded go out and schedule some tough non-conference teams! Some will argue that Texas had to play Missouri in the regular season (the best Big 12 team that Oklahoma did not play), but that case obviously makes no sense now since OU will have the opportunity to play Mizzou on a "neutral field" this Saturday. I put quotations around the neutral field for this reason: Yes, everyone points out that Texas beat OU on a "neutral field" and I don't care that the Cotton Bowl is the same driving distance from each campus. The fact is the game was played in Texas and if anyone actually watched the game they could see that the stadium was predominately Burnt Orange colors. Also, I'm still curious to see the outcome had Ryan Reynolds (the stud linebacker from OU) doesn't get hurt and lost for the game/season with the score 21-3 Sooners.
Now Oklahoma has to play Mizzou in Kansas City, an hour and half drive from Columbia I should point out. So if OU beats down the Tigers this makes yet another more impressive win for the Sooners considering Texas played Mizzou in Austin.
Also I took the liberty in comparing the games between Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma to show everyone the point differential from those games. Also I threw in the scores from the Oklahoma State game for all three teams (I chose Oklahoma State since they are the best Big 12 team that all three played and were also the only 3 losses that Oklahoma State had this season).
Texas Tech:
Oklahoma State: 56-20 W (+36)
Texas: 39-33 W (+6)
Oklahoma: 65-21 L (-44)
Total Point Difference: - 2
Texas:
Oklahoma: 45-35 W (+10)
Oklahoma State: 28-24 W (+4)
Texas Tech: 39-33 L (- 6)
Total Point Difference: + 8
Oklahoma:
Texas: 45-35 L (-10)
Texas Tech: 65-21 W (+44)
Oklahoma State: 61-41 W (+20)
Total Point Difference: +54
There you have it....my theory on why the BCS, flawed as it can be, got it RIGHT
GO SOONERS!
The Morning After Pill - Week # 13
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, almost 36 hours after what happened at the Metrodome, the feeling is still pretty awesome. One of the more dominant games of the Brad Childress era, one of the greatest single plays in Vikings' history, and an all-around outstanding performance from the Minnesota Vikings has placed them alone atop the NFC North. . . for now.
From basically the very beginning of the game last night, the Bears had no answer for any aspect of the Minnesota defense. At the 8:15 mark of the first quarter, after Kyle Orton threw a touchdown pass to Devin Hester to give the Bears a 7-0 lead, he was 1-for-4 passing for 65 yards and a TD. For the remaining 51 minutes and 45 seconds, he was 10-for-25 for 88 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Prior to the interception he threw to Darren Sharper in the third quarter, Orton hadn't thrown an interception in 207 consecutive pass attempts, a mark that established a new Bears' record. He then proceeded to throw three in his next seven pass attempts, apparently finally remembering that he is, indeed, Kyle Orton. After Sharper got his first interception of 2008, Ben Leber and Benny Sapp got in on the fun as well.
Even after Sapp committed a truly dumb penalty to negate a third-down stop and rookie Matt Forte took the ball down to the Minnesota 2-yard line, the Bears couldn't get through the Vikings' defense. Four times the Bears inexplicably tried to slam the ball home through the middle of the Minnesota defensive line. . . but with Pat Williams continuing his recent ownership of Bears' center Olin Kreutz, Kevin Williams destroying whatever gets in his path, and Jared Allen turning Bears' tackle John St. Clair into a turnstile, they failed on each and every occasion. The Vikings put together a spectacular goal-line stand, and Allen concluded it by coming all the way around from his defensive end position to stop Forte on the other side of the formation and stop the Bears on fourth down.
And then. . ."it" happened. In playground terms, they went long. Frerotte pump-faked to the right, then looked back toward Berrian. Yes, Charles Tillman left Berrian to cover Shiancoe. Suddenly, there was Berrian.... all alone.... along the sideline. The ball was in the air for what seem like 10 minutes. Once Berrian let the ball fall into his hands he was on his way to just the 11th 99 yard touchdown in NFL history.
Maybe Adewale Ogunleye should have made his cheap shot on Gus Frerotte more worth his while. (And, yes, I know that Gus flopped like Manu Ginobili after the hit. But, seriously, what's the over/under on the number of flags that would have been on the field had that hit been delivered by Jared Allen on Kyle Orton? I'd say at least three.) However, when the game came back from break after the Vikings had to settle for a Longwell field goal, Al Michaels wisely pointed out that the same referee crew had also officiated the Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl...ahh...makes sense now. They must be fans of the Steelers AND the Bears.
All in all, the Vikings' defense racked up three sacks last night (all by Allen, to bring his season total to 11), held the Bears to 228 total offensive yards, forced the aforementioned three Orton interceptions, and showed everyone that the offensive "explosion" that we saw in Chicago earlier this year was a fluke. . .well, half a fluke, anyway.
And let's not forget that, in all the excitement of the goal line stand, the 99-yard touchdown, and the Bears' terrible second-half performance (in the second half, they had 3 interceptions and punted four times), we were treated to another flogging of the Bears' defense by the wonder known as Adrian Peterson. With his 28 carry, 131 yard performance, Peterson has now rushed for a cool 554 yards on 90 carries (6.2 yards/carry) and 8 TDs in four career starts against Chicago in his career. He now has a solid lead in the NFL's rushing race over Washington's Clinton Portis, as he's the first back in the league this season to reach the 1,300-yard mark. If the Vikings manage to make the playoffs this year and Peterson can lead the NFL in rushing. . . something that no Viking has ever done, by the way. . . then he's going to merit some serious consideration for the NFL MVP award. Granted, he won't win it or anything, but he'd merit consideration anyway.
Right now, we're a game up on the Bears, two games up on the Packers, and a victory over Detroit on Sunday afternoon would put the Vikings' in the driver's seat in the NFC North in pretty much every conceivable way. The important thing is for the Vikings to NOT overlook this Sunday's matchup. Yes, I know they're the Lions. . . yes, I know they're 0-12. . . yes, I know that they may be one of the worst football teams that any of us have ever seen. . . but with a pretty murderous final three games on the schedule and a big road trip to Arizona coming in two weeks, this Sunday's contest has all the makings of a classic "trap" game. The Vikings absolutely, positively must avoid the trap. . . a loss to the Lions would not only completely negate all the positivity and good feelings coming from Sunday's victory, but could send the Vikings spiraling in the completely opposite direction.
From basically the very beginning of the game last night, the Bears had no answer for any aspect of the Minnesota defense. At the 8:15 mark of the first quarter, after Kyle Orton threw a touchdown pass to Devin Hester to give the Bears a 7-0 lead, he was 1-for-4 passing for 65 yards and a TD. For the remaining 51 minutes and 45 seconds, he was 10-for-25 for 88 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Prior to the interception he threw to Darren Sharper in the third quarter, Orton hadn't thrown an interception in 207 consecutive pass attempts, a mark that established a new Bears' record. He then proceeded to throw three in his next seven pass attempts, apparently finally remembering that he is, indeed, Kyle Orton. After Sharper got his first interception of 2008, Ben Leber and Benny Sapp got in on the fun as well.
Even after Sapp committed a truly dumb penalty to negate a third-down stop and rookie Matt Forte took the ball down to the Minnesota 2-yard line, the Bears couldn't get through the Vikings' defense. Four times the Bears inexplicably tried to slam the ball home through the middle of the Minnesota defensive line. . . but with Pat Williams continuing his recent ownership of Bears' center Olin Kreutz, Kevin Williams destroying whatever gets in his path, and Jared Allen turning Bears' tackle John St. Clair into a turnstile, they failed on each and every occasion. The Vikings put together a spectacular goal-line stand, and Allen concluded it by coming all the way around from his defensive end position to stop Forte on the other side of the formation and stop the Bears on fourth down.
And then. . ."it" happened. In playground terms, they went long. Frerotte pump-faked to the right, then looked back toward Berrian. Yes, Charles Tillman left Berrian to cover Shiancoe. Suddenly, there was Berrian.... all alone.... along the sideline. The ball was in the air for what seem like 10 minutes. Once Berrian let the ball fall into his hands he was on his way to just the 11th 99 yard touchdown in NFL history.
Maybe Adewale Ogunleye should have made his cheap shot on Gus Frerotte more worth his while. (And, yes, I know that Gus flopped like Manu Ginobili after the hit. But, seriously, what's the over/under on the number of flags that would have been on the field had that hit been delivered by Jared Allen on Kyle Orton? I'd say at least three.) However, when the game came back from break after the Vikings had to settle for a Longwell field goal, Al Michaels wisely pointed out that the same referee crew had also officiated the Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl...ahh...makes sense now. They must be fans of the Steelers AND the Bears.
All in all, the Vikings' defense racked up three sacks last night (all by Allen, to bring his season total to 11), held the Bears to 228 total offensive yards, forced the aforementioned three Orton interceptions, and showed everyone that the offensive "explosion" that we saw in Chicago earlier this year was a fluke. . .well, half a fluke, anyway.
And let's not forget that, in all the excitement of the goal line stand, the 99-yard touchdown, and the Bears' terrible second-half performance (in the second half, they had 3 interceptions and punted four times), we were treated to another flogging of the Bears' defense by the wonder known as Adrian Peterson. With his 28 carry, 131 yard performance, Peterson has now rushed for a cool 554 yards on 90 carries (6.2 yards/carry) and 8 TDs in four career starts against Chicago in his career. He now has a solid lead in the NFL's rushing race over Washington's Clinton Portis, as he's the first back in the league this season to reach the 1,300-yard mark. If the Vikings manage to make the playoffs this year and Peterson can lead the NFL in rushing. . . something that no Viking has ever done, by the way. . . then he's going to merit some serious consideration for the NFL MVP award. Granted, he won't win it or anything, but he'd merit consideration anyway.
Right now, we're a game up on the Bears, two games up on the Packers, and a victory over Detroit on Sunday afternoon would put the Vikings' in the driver's seat in the NFC North in pretty much every conceivable way. The important thing is for the Vikings to NOT overlook this Sunday's matchup. Yes, I know they're the Lions. . . yes, I know they're 0-12. . . yes, I know that they may be one of the worst football teams that any of us have ever seen. . . but with a pretty murderous final three games on the schedule and a big road trip to Arizona coming in two weeks, this Sunday's contest has all the makings of a classic "trap" game. The Vikings absolutely, positively must avoid the trap. . . a loss to the Lions would not only completely negate all the positivity and good feelings coming from Sunday's victory, but could send the Vikings spiraling in the completely opposite direction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
